You already know that eating meat is unhealthy, destructive to the
environment and cruel to animals. But a new book now offers compelling
and logical evidence that meat was the real “forbidden fruit.”

Is meat the cause of man’s fall from paradise? Is veganism the way
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publisher and author of “The REAL Forbidden Fruit: How Meat Destroys
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“Jeff Popick is a passionate man with a compelling message. In The
Real Forbidden Fruit he describes, often with great brilliance, the
reasons he and many others feel both a moral and intellectual imperative
to be vegan. As outspoken as he is thoughtful, Jeff Popick isn’t about
to sit back in resignation and watch humanity descend ever deeper into
darkness. Shining like a torch, his writings come from deeply held
convictions, and profound concern for the welfare of all sentient
beings.” -- John Robbins, author of Diet For A New America and Healthy
At 100.

It is possible that Christianity offers a more solid basis for animal
protectionism than either liberal or conservative orientations.
Christians believe that all life comes from the Creator, who loves all
of Creation. As children of God, we should honor and obey our
Creator/parent. Honoring and obeying God is incompatible with
unnecessary violence or destructiveness toward anything that God has
made.

Those who seem insensitive or cruel toward animals are likely either
be unaware of how industries treat animals today, or regard compassion
as an optional attitude that one invokes when convenient. Because animal
exploitation industries hide their crimes against God’s creatures, many
people are not fully aware of the degree of suffering animals endure in
order for humans to procure animal foods, skins, animal experimentation
data, and other supposed “benefits” of animal exploitation. However,
those who choose to remain unaware, such as those who reject animal
welfare literature because “I don’t want to know,” are rejecting God’s
creative goodness. Serving God faithfully requires mindfulness, and
elective ignorance is no excuse.

Frequently, they justify their participation in animal cruelty by
claiming that animal issues are irrelevant compared to human concerns.
While those activities that help humans are laudable, simple lifestyle
choices can easily and substantially reduce one’s complicity with
respect to animal cruelty. It seems that those who elect not to take
these easy steps have chosen to satisfy their personal desires (for
foods, clothing, and other amenities derived from animals) over
compassion. If I am correct, then they have compromised their commitment
to God in order to gratify themselves. And, if this is their attitude
toward animals, won’t this attitude easily transfer to fellow humans if
social, political, or economic duress threatens their lifestyles? As
Christian disciples, we must show love in all our relationships, and the
Apostle Paul wrote, “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). It is
easy to seem loving and compassionate when one does not feel socially,
politically, or materially threatened. However, when one is put to the
test, without genuine love one’s prophetic powers, knowledge, and faith
amount to nothing.

Because most forms of animal abuse have become institutionalized and
mechanized, and because wealthy societies can afford more luxuries like
meat and furs, it is likely that no society has ever caused more animal
suffering and death than the U.S. does today. If animals could fully
understand the magnitude of human abuse and the trivial reasons for most
of it (e.g., taste preferences, fashion, entertainment), the animals
would surely despise humankind, which leads me to wonder how God judges
humankind, given how our society treats God’s own Creation.